Deeds, John W. 1854-1917

DEEDS, LYNCH, CAMPBELL, BAUSTIAN, SATER, BADGER

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 5/11/2012 at 17:30:31

The Grinnell (IA) Herald; Aug. 17, 1917

JOHN W. DEEDS

The somewhat tragic death of John W. Deeds last Monday aroused all the human interest among his Chester friends and a large and sympathetic company met at the Chester church Wednesday to show their regard for the active and earnest manhood of the deceased and their appreciation of his strong and vigorous character.

John W. Deeds was born March 12, 1854, in Coshocton County, Ohio, and so at the time of his death was in his 64th year. In the fall of 1871 his father, William Deeds, and family, moved to Sheridan township and located on a farm in western Sheridan. Here Mr. Deeds passed the earlier part of his life, leaving the farm in the eighties to enter the employ of the St. Paul Harvester Co., and later going on the road for the company. After several years for them he returned to the farm and located on the Hays' farm just west of the Sonora church.

Feb. 9, 1894, Mr. Deeds was married to Miss Effie Peterson of New Boston, Ill., who preceded him across the river about two years ago.

For the past fifteen years Mr. Deeds has lived just north of the Chester store and during that time has held several township positions and it is needless to say that he has filled them all with efficiency and integrity.

Mr. Deeds was intended by nature to be an active man of affairs. As a boy he became interested in The Herald, and for more than twenty years was a most valued correspondent. He just seemed to know the newspaper business. He was a neat penman and would have stood well in any spelling school. It was never necessary to respell any words, nor to reconstruct any sentences that Mr. Deeds wrote. He just seemed to know, and on this account his writings have been welcome at The Herald office since his first appearance in 1874, a period extending over 43 years.

What was true of his writing was true of him in other ways. He was an efficient man. He was a strong and earnest man. If you did not agree with him you appreciated and understood the manly motives which had prompted his voice or his actions. Mr. Deeds did not try to accumulate a large amount of property. But he did try to earn and deserve the respect of his neighbors and he succeeded. We have no desire to go into unusual praise of a man of Mr. Deeds' character. He would not prefer it so. But we can say of him that his visits to The Herald office--and they were frequent--were always welcome. Kind words from his neighbors have followed him to his last resting place. Those who believe in honor, integrity and square living were friends of Mr. Deeds.

The funeral was held at the Chester church, Wednesday, at 3 o'clock, conducted by Rev. H.S. Wissler, who during his pastorate had formed a warm friendship for Mr. Deeds, and who performed the same service for his deceased wife only a short time ago. The music was by a quartet composed of Mr. and Mrs. Maynard Sears and Mr. and Mrs. T.A. Armstrong, with C.B. Van Ausdall at the piano. Mr. Van Ausdall also sang a solo, "One Sweetly Solemn Thought," Mrs. Van Ausdall at the piano. The bearers, the same men who performed the same services for his deceased wife, were J.J. Dempster, J.E. Demptser, E.W. Fisher, E.D. Forehand, Clyde Foster and H.S. Stahl.

An adopted son, Lester Deeds, survives him, who is now at a soldiers' training camp at Gettysburg, Pa., but who has just reached here, too late to be present at the funeral. There also survives him his brother, Grant Deeds, of this city, and three sisters, Mrs. Wm. Lynch, of Brooklyn, Mrs. Martha Campbell of Casey, and Mrs. Jno. Baustian of Rock Rapids. All were present at the funeral. Two nieces, Mrs. Eva Sater and Ethel Baustian, were also here. Mrs. E.S. Badger, a niece, of Redwood Falls, Minn., came Wednesday night, too late for the funeral and is now visiting relatives here.